The helicopter flew over Lumiose City as it was currently being overrun by huge dark vines, red veins pulsing along them. Smoke rose from various places, the sounds of sirens wailing across the ruined streets. People were fleeing while some lay among the rubble.

"We're live in the air looking down as this horrible scene," Jessie aimed the camera towards the city through the open door while James had one arm held around her middle so she wouldn't fall. "While many flee for safety, an untold number of citizens are likely hurt or worse. There is no sign of the vines stopping as they continue to overrun the city. From what we can tell, they seemed to have originated from the Prism Tower. It has been strongly advised to move away from the tower when fleeing. We will continue to provide coverage at the risk of our own lives!"

"Oh Zeno," Jessie breathed as she lowered the camera slightly, gazing out at the hellish scene. "Please be okay."

...

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted as he ran through the broken hallways of the Kalos League stadium, jumping over a protruding vine. Pikachu spun around, blasting the advancing Pokemon with the Electric attack, stopping the Flare grunts from pursuing for a moment.

"C'mon Pikachu," Ash called back to his Pokemon and the Mouse Pokemon ran to catch up to his trainer. Soon they saw several more people rushing out the main doors and into the sun. Ash and Pikachu stopped as they gazed at Lumiose, the large thick vines spreading across the city. "What is happening!?"

He jerked his head up at the sound of a voice coming from a speaker. "The damages that started around the Prism Tower due to the outbreak of strange vines are still spreading. When evacuating, please make sure to move away from Prism Tower."

Ash looked towards the tower and saw something glowing red near the top. It stood at the edge, overlooking the city. "Is that..."

"Zygarde."

Ash turned and exclaimed, "Alain! You okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, fine."

Before anything else could be said, a vine broke through the ground in front of them.

"Pikachu," Ash held out his hand. "Iron Tail!" Pikachu leaped into the air and swung his tail, slicing through the vine. As it crashed to the side, several Sludge Bombs slammed into the ground just in front of both Ash and Alain.

"What-!?" Ash waved away the smoke, seeing the green-haired Team Flare scientist standing atop the severed vine alongside a Drapion. "You! The ones who wanted Squishy!"

"Ah, so you do remember," she chuckled. "But we don't need that creature just yet. What we want, is you."

"Me?" Ash took a step back, confused as Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity in front of him.

"Alain," the scientist turned to look at him. "The Director wants you at the Prism Tower as well."

"Wait," Ash turned to look at his friend. "You... know these people?"

Alain didn't look at Ash as the scientist laughed. "Know us? I would say he's a colleague."

"Oh, and Alain," Bryony adjusted her green visor. "She's being transported over to the tower as we speak. It would be best if you continued to comply."

"Alain," Ash grabbed Alain's hand. "Don't believe what they're saying. We need to go!"

Alain tugged his hand free and Ash stumbled slightly. In that instant, several Team Flare grunts appeared alongside their Pokemon.

"Drapion, Confuse Ray!"

Ash and Pikachu didn't have time to react as the attack hit them both and both fell to the ground.

"Alain..." Ash managed to get out as he fell to his knees. "What on... earth is..." Then darkness overcame him and he saw no more.

As Bryony gave the order to grab both Ash and Pikachu, Alain gripped a fist, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

...

"C'mon, we have to get to Prism Tower," Alex ordered as she and the others ran through the broken streets, avoiding the vines best they could.

"But what about Ash?" Serena gasped. "And Zeno!?"

"They'll be fine," Robert promised. "Knowing them, if they're in trouble, they're bound to make it a lot worse for whoever is against them."

"Agreed," Clemont nodded. "But we have to get to my gym!"

"Oh Squishy," Bonnie whimpered, her grip on her bag tight.

"Dear Kalos region, as well as the whole world:"

All five of them came to a sudden halt as they stared at a large TV on the side of a building that hadn't been destroyed. Lysandre was being shown, speaking.

"My name is Lysandre. Team Flare, which was formed under my will, hereby declares: We will rebuild this world into a more beautiful place." The screen changed, showing an image of the red Zygarde on Prism Tower. "This Pokemon is called Zygarde. It is a legendary Pokemon that surveys order in Kalos. We have joined forces with the tutelary Zygarde as guardians of order."

"Oi, they're stealing our schtick!" Robert exclaimed and Alex slapped his head.

"Zygarde is angered by the actions of humanity and Pokemon. The order of this world is already disturbed. Humans are nothing but fools. When there is only one of something, they refuse to share it. And when they can't share it, they'll fight over it. And when something is fought over, some must survive without it. The only way to create a world where people live in beauty, a world without conflict or theft, is to reduce the number of lives. Only the chosen ones will live to see tomorrow! We, Team Flare, together with Zygarde's rage, will carry out the punishment. As its order has been disturbed, we will reset this world and create a beautiful world!"

...

"Why?" The young girl blinked up at the screen, wide-eyed.

"Mairin," the Flare grunt clasped his hands behind his back as he stood behind her. "We must continue on our way to Lysandre as instructed."

"No," Mairin spun around, trying to back away. "I won't!"

The grunt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why do I get stuck with the kid? Look, we're doing all this for the sake of peace. Don't you wish to grow up in a safer world than this one?" He reached out for her. "Now come on or I'll-!"

"NO!" Mairin cried out.

A hand grabbed the grunt's wrist and he looked to see Professor Sycamore with a tight hold on him.

"Forcing a lady to do something she doesn't want to do, I can't say I care much for that." He smiled, pulling the grunt forwards before slamming a fist into his face, snapping his red glasses.

"Augh!?" The Flare grunt stumbled backwards, sending out a Skorupi. "You know how much this cost!? Skorupi, Pin Missile!"

"Garchomp!" Sycamore sent out the Dragon type. "Dragon Claw!"

Garchomp slashed through the attack, triggering a small blast and obscuring them in smoke. When it cleared, the Professor, Mairin, and Garchomp had disappeared.

The grunt groaned, throwing off his glasses. "Great, how am I going to explain this..."

...

"Flamethrower!"

"Seed Bomb!"

Both Ninetales and Chesnaught fired their attacks, destroying the vines that had risen in front of them.

"We need to keep moving," Alex grimaced. "We're almost there."

"Watch out!" Robert shouted, pointing behind them as more vines rose above them. "Chesnaught, Pin Missile!"

The Grass type blasted the vine with the projectiles, barely stopping it. Something sliced downwards, severing the vine, before landing on the ground. Heliolisk stood up as a Robot came to stand next to it.

"Clembot!" Clemont and Robert both exclaimed at the same time.

"Clemont, I am sorry to keep you waiting," Clembot spoke in his robotic tone.

"Thank you, Heliolisk," Bonnie smiled as Clembot said, "If my master is in trouble, I will come to him no matter where he is!"

"I do love your robot, Clemont," Robert grinned. "I need to make one of my own one day. Dunno if I'll give the AI I'll make a body, but I'm going to call it... Robert Aspen Mark II!"

"Yeah yeah," Alex interrupted the geek talk before it could go on any longer. "We need to keep mov-!"

Another vine burst through the ground feet away from her, but before it could do anything, a Mega Blaziken slammed his blazing foot through it.

"That was a close one!" Blaziken Mask called down to them from a rooftop before jumping down to join the group.

"Blaziken Mask," Clemont stepped forwards. "The source of this incident seems to be at Prism Tower. If we can stop whatever is happening there, we can save Lumiose."

"Hm," Blaziken Mask nodded, stepping past them in the direction of the tower. "Then I'll go. You all should turn back. This won't be a place for children."

"That's my gym, I have to go!" Clemont responded with unshakable determination.

"And Squishy!" Bonnie put in.

"We're going, all of us," Alex told the hero. "And unless you're going to try to stop us, you'd better let us come with. I mean, if we're going to go, won't we be safer with you?"

Blaziken Mask sighed. "Fine. I can see I won't change any of your minds. Come along then! We don't have time to waste!"

...

Lysandre surveyed the city from atop Prism Tower, smiling at the sight. "My plans with the Ultimate Weapon may have failed, but this time, I will bring about a new, more beautiful world."

He watched as a group of people approached the tower and engaged his two scientists. Then Z1 finally transformed into Zygarde, facing against the red Zygarde that had dropped from the tower to fight it.

"Soon," he thought as he turned back to Alain and Ash. "Soon the new world will be upon us."

...

Alex glanced behind her, seeing Robert and Clemont hold off the scientists as she, Serena, Mairin, and the Professor took off to find a vehicle to get to a secret Lysandre Lab that Mairin knew the rough location of. Her Chespin was trapped there and it was also a place that needed to be shut down. Blaziken Mask had run after Bonnie when she went after Squishy, who had turned out to be Zygarde as well.

Shaking her head to clear the confusion, Alex prayed that Zeno was alright. She had seen no sign of him nor heard anything from him since the attack on the stadium. She knew he could take care of himself, but she worried all the same.

The sound of chopper blades above them made them stop and look. A helicopter was descending towards them, Jessie waving at them with a camera on her shoulder. "Need a lift!?"

...

Secret Lysandre Labs, located on the Northwestern coast of Kalos

I groaned, blinking away the spots dancing in front of my eyes. I tried moving my limbs, but they were stuck in place. Shaking my head, I looked around. Four orbs were clasped around my hands and feet, suspending me in the air. The same seemed to have been done to my Pokemon as well. Arcanine, Greninja, Lucario, Mawile, Corviknight, and Bisharp were all either held up by orbs or had tights bands wrapped around them to keep them from moving.

We were in a large metal room, computer monitors set up around me and only one door a dozen feet away. It was dimly lit and the red-haired scientist smiled as she noticed I was awake. Grunts sat at the computers, typing away as she walked closer to me.

"Finally awake are we?" She grinned. "Unlike Ash, Lysandre said we wouldn't have a use for you since he has Ash and his Bond Phenomenon with Greninja. So, I thought I would take some initiative and extract the Bond Phenomenon from you before letting the energy kill you and Greninja."

"Is that all?" I growled, clenching my fists within the orbs.

"Ash and you are potentially the chosen ones that can lead the new world," she said, waving her hand about. "But Lysandre doesn't want to waste the effort of trying to control your Bond Phenomenon. He'd rather see you dead." She stepped closer, tracing a finger along my face. "But, if I can extract your Bond Phenomenon, Lysandre is sure to be pleased."

She turned swiftly. "Start the process!"

Two metal fly machines flew up in front of me and Greninja, and before I could say anything, we were both blasted with red energy. Greninja and I yelled in pain, my whole body feeling like it was on fire.

"Don't worry about the pain too much, you'll be dead soon anyway!" Aliana exclaimed proudly. "And at least you can die knowing Ash will be the chosen one destined to lead the new world! One rid of all the current filthy humans! Only Team Flare and the chosen ones will see the beautiful future in store!"

I heard my Pokemon cry out beside me, struggling to break free to help both Greninja and I. I clenched my jaw, trying to ignore the searing pain. "You seriously think Ash will give a damn about being the chosen one!?" I spoke through gritted teeth, ignoring the pain coursing through my body. "You think he'll let everyone he loves die!?" I glared up at them. "You clearly don't know him at all!"

"Quiet!" The scientist ordered, glaring at me. "You'll be dead soon anyway, so you don't have a say in anything!"

I gasped as the pain increased, but met the scientist's gaze. "And there's that." I tightened my fists within the orbs. "If you think I'll just sit back and let you all kill me while everyone is in danger, then you got another thing coming!" My head was pounding, but I could feel my soul crying out, connecting with another. "If you think for one moment you got us beat, that the world is finished, then you've clearly been underestimating me and my friends! I'll tell you right now! DON'T SCREW WITH US!"

The sound of our heartbeats reached their crescendo and both Greninja and I yelled as energy blasted around us both. The room shook as water blasted the floor and ceiling. Within the torrent, we strained our bodies to the limits, the orbs shattering as we were freed. We both roared as our bond spiked and the water surged outwards. Team Flare was flung against the walls, the machines exploding as the energy collided with them. We both landed on the floor gently, the water circling around Greninja for a moment before forming his cloak and daggers.

"Now then," I pulled off my tattered trench, narrowing my eyes. "Let's down to business shall we."

Alright folks, we're counting down now. Just 12 chapters to go from here before the book ends. Now, most of you likely recognize what's going on from the XYZ anime. But, is that all that's going to happen between now and the end? Or do I have something else up my sleeve? Until the next update! Toodles!